Restaurant's Public Shaming Of Yelp-Threatening Customers Goes Viral

This restaurant decided that on this occasion the customer isn’t always right.

Boston Eater reported on a pair of nightmare intruders. The two friends showed up at Alden & Harlow with no reservation, sat themselves, insulted the staff, and then apparently refused to leave. Otherwise known as squatters in some quarters.

On top of this an eye witness also claims that before they found themselves a place to sit, they noisily told a bartender they weren’t tipping because they couldn’t get a table quickly enough. All of this good will and kindness while threatening to leave Alden & Harlow a bad Yelp review.

The owner of the restaurant responded by posting a picture of the customers on Instagram, along with a description of their behavior and the hashtag #wedontnegotiatewithyelpers.

“We tried to have them leave, they refused. Taking their drink away and being forceful is not hospitable. So in lieu of calling the police (only other recourse imo) which seemed too strong a response, we opted to kill them with kindness until they left. We as a team endured a ton of abuse but ultimately chose the high road. My choice to post this is not to slander on them per say [sic] but to call attention to a major flaw in the current ‘online review system & entitled mentality.’ Ultimately, it’s about protecting the integrity of our (well documented) humble and gracious staff. Feel free to vilify me for posting, but I stand by my post.”

The customers’ threat to leave a poor Yelp review has thus far not materialised. Maybe they saw the backlash and backed off, or maybe they were just chancers hoping to get their own way but never intending to follow through on their threats.